WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT YOUR VET JUST TO SAY “HI”.
One of the best things you can do for your pet’s medical well being is to the veterinarian’s office is to occasionally stop by for a brief visit just to say hello. We try our best to make your pet’s vet visit as positive as possible, but more often than not dogs and cats may associate going to the vet with a poke and a prod. To break this pattern, we encourage you to drop in on a regular basis for a “friendly visit”. Come by just to say hello and score a treat. Let your pet say hi to everybody, maybe hop on the scale and play with some toys. Keep the visit short and sweet.
Benefits of “Friendly Vet Visits”
Let us get to know your pet
We love getting to know our patients. We want to know which cookies your pet prefers, what toys they want to play with and where their favorite “scratchy” spot is. Friendly vet visits are a great chance for our team to get to know your pet’s true self outside of the examination room.
Show your pet they can trust us
Like people, animals learn to trust. By allowing for a relationship to develop between your pet and their veterinary team it allows your pet to learn that they can trust us too.
Make difficult times less difficult
It is stressful for everyone when your pet is uncomfortable and even more so if your pet has to spend some time in the hospital. If your pet can look at our clinic and team and feel like they’re in a safe place for help that provides a lot of comfort during a scary time. Likewise, the more time we spend with your pet the more information we have to make them as comfortable as possible.
Better assessment of your pet’s true vital signs
Often your pet’s vital parameters (heart rate, respiration etc) are elevated due to the stress or excitement of coming to the vet, veterinarians are aware of this and account for it during your pet’s examination. But, imagine If your pet isn’t stressed. Their vital signs e.g blood pressure, heart rate will better represent their value when they’re at home and allow us to recognize abnormal values from true illness vs stress elevations.
Minimize the need for sedation
The more relaxed your pet is the more we can do for your pet without the need for pharmaceutical restraint
Get to know your veterinary care team
By coming in just to say hello, it allows you to get to know the team that is caring for your pet’s well being in a more relaxed setting.
Friendly visits help take the stress out of veterinary visits for both patients and their families. We want your pet to feel like the vet clinic is a second home and a great place to be! Make these visits part of your pet’s socialization experience.
Tip: Try and call ahead and ask if there is a good time to stop by for a few minutes. You’ll want to make sure that your social visit is convenient for the vet and the office staff. You’ll also want to make sure they are not dealing with an emergency or an infectious disease at the time of your visit.
